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Charlie Draper Plays The Badgermin

This video captures a performance of Charlie Draper on the Badgermin, with piano accompaniment by Ben-San Lau:

The Badgermin was constructed by David Cranmer. The electronics are from a PAiA Theremax kit, with new 8mm diameter removable antennae.

Note: Some readers think that combining taxidermy with electronic instrument building, like this, is repulsive, while others think it’s ‘wrong’ in an interesting way.

Intellectually, the Badgermin isn’t that far from the traditions of using cow and goat hides for drum skins, animal intestines (catgut) for the strings of violins and harps, goat toes to create rattles or turtle shells to make shakers. But putting a real face on a musical instrument removes a level of abstraction and seems to trigger a more visceral reaction.

Chris – a lot of people think it’s crass, disrespectful to the animal or just gross.

I’m of two minds on this.

On one hand, I think it’s important for artists and musicians to sometimes do things that we don’t like – things that are a little confrontational and that force you to think. And this instrument makes me think about all the percussion instruments that I own that have animal parts.

On the other hand, I’m not convinced that the Badgermin is meant to be anything more than a jokey theremin.